WHATS GOOD FOR THE GOOS IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER ?

[JLC]

Yes i do realise its meant to be "goose".....lol lol

This is an extract from Todays Age. I expect Ponting or one of the other Australians to speak to the crowd after this Maybe Brett Lee could chat to them ??

SCG crowd taunts Muralitharan
January 10 2003

Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was taunted by the SCG crowd last night as he went close to claiming the 300th limited-overs wicket of his career.

Making his comeback from a hernia operation, 30-year-old Muralitharan attracted calls of "no ball" from sections of the 34,670-strong crowd when he came on in the 22nd over of Australia's failed run chase.

It was a carbon copy of the treatment Australian speedster Brett Lee received in the past two Ashes Tests, when the Barmy Army also called out "no ball".

Essendon 2000 premiers
2001 runners up
2002 fifth
2003 ????
The slide continues

[This message has been edited by JLC (edited 10 January 2003).]

[Fradam]

Very true JLC

The fans should know better and have a bit more repect for the guy. Not as much as Wisden which named him number 1 bowler of all time but just a little more respect

Fradam Wrote This

[couragous cloke]

i was in the barmy army on the third day in melbourne and down near that boundary all that goes on is a bti of fun guys, i wouldnt say they are taunting anyone, and even if they are, i think a professional sportsman could take a little abuse, seriously! i dont see it as a big deal at all.

footy ROX!

[MrsTarrant]

I agree with all of you on this one I think it is just a bit of fun on the one hand and disrespectful on the other but what can you do about it?

[JLC]

Some interesting reading for the fans out there

MUTTIAH MURALITHARAN says Australian crowds should keep
their mouths shut and he's fed up with taunts about his
controversial bowling action.

The Sri Lankan off-spinner says the Gabba crowd laughed
at him last night when he was injured during his team's
four-wicket loss to Australia.

The 30-year-old says it's not fair and he may never
return to play in Australia again.


Essendon 2000 premiers
2001 runners up
2002 fifth
2003 ????
The slide continues

[Donny]

Murali is being just as silly as Hadlee, Langer and JLC to react so emotionally to taunts by a few idiots in the crowd.

These people make lots of noise and are often just a tiny minority. For Muralitharan to say, "Australian crowds should keep their mouths shut..." is not only unwise but nonsensical and a gross generalisation.

In Langer's case there were more than just 'a few idiots' but the Balmy Army's orchestrated taunts still shouldn't be construed as the way all English cricket followers feel about the Aussie team or Brett Lee. Langer spoke in the heat of the moment and was quick to apologise to the BA. Maybe Murali will yet do the same.

Before you say I'm condoning abuse from the crowd, m8, may I say it's apalling that anyone would laugh at a player getting injured but there's no way the 'Australian crowd' were doing this.

Donny.

GO THE MIGHTY WOODSMEN !! ALL THE WAY IN 2003 AND BEYOND !!!!

[This message has been edited by MAGFAN8 (edited 17 January 2003).]

[JLC]

Fradam : "By the way I think what the Barmy Army is wrong, it's the biggest slur in the game to be called a chucker and I think its out of line for the Barmy Army to do so to Brett Lee."

Assasin: "They deserved the spray from Langer for the ridiculous "NO BALL" shouts everytime Lee bowled."

Scud: "The were calling Brett Lee a cheat which isn't called for. Also I have no memory of aussie fans yelling out no ball in unison everytime murli bowled. "

jlc


Essendon 2000 premiers
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[JLC]

On the BBC Website:

Time Aussies turned on the charm

Darren Lehmann dropped a clanger on Thursday

By James Standley
BBC Sport Online

Australia are undoubtedly the number one cricket side in the world, but unlike their footballing equivalents Brazil, they will not go to the forthcoming World Cup as the neutral's choice.

There is no doubting the world champions' all-round excellence, but while Brazil are loved by football fans for their charm and style, Australia inspire grudging respect at best.

Some of the reasons for that were illustrated by the behaviour of one of the Australian players and their fans during the one-day international against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

When a player racially abuses the opposition and your fans decide that it is funny when the opposition's star bowler is injured, it might be time to dig out the Bumper Book of Etiquette.


Murali has 437 Test and 304 ODI victims

When England's Barmy Army greeted one of Brett Lee's spells during the Melbourne Test with repeated cries of no-ball as he bowled, their behaviour was called a "disgrace".

So it would be interesting to know if the Australians feel the same way now Muttiah Muralitharan has been effectively hounded out of the country.


Murali fed up with Australia
Murali has long been the target of abuse from Australian crowds and on Thursday he announced that he was sick of it and would never tour Australia again.

The final straw for Murali came when he claimed he was laughed at and jeered by the Australian crowd when he injured his leg during Sri Lanka's four-wicket defeat on Thursday.


Have your say: Is Murali right to make a stand?
But he has been having problems with the Australian fans since he was called for throwing in Melbourne in 1995.

Murali, who is ranked as the second best bowler in the world behind Australia's Glenn McGrath, has been cleared by the International Cricket Council.

Charm school

But in the eyes of the Australian crowd he is still fair game and an injury becomes just another chance to mock the mercurial spinner.

So, if the Australian fans seem to have failed to graduate from charm school, what of their team?

On the same day that Murali was limping off the field to a barrage of jeers, Australian batsman Darren Lehmann's racist outburst turned the spotlight back on the team's behaviour.


Lehmann charged by ICC
The Australian authorities immediately ordered Lehmann to undergo counselling but it is not the first time that a player has opened his mouth and then crossed the line.

The Aussies have long been renowned for their sledging, and while all countries now indulge in what Steve Waugh calls "mental disintegration" the Australians seem to take it that much further.


Smith slammed Australia's aggressive sledging

When South Africa last played Australia, in 2002, the sledging was so bad that rookie South African batsman Graeme Smith spoke out about it in a magazine.

He said his treatment included a "two-minute tirade" from Matthew Hayden, who was recently fined 20% of his match fee after smashing a window during the final Ashes Test in Sydney.

Ricky Ponting admitted that things had got out of hand when he pledged to end personal attacks on players after taking over the one-day captaincy.


Ponting to tone down sledging
Since then the sledging issue has gone quiet, so we must assume that the worst excesses have been reined in, but as Lehmann's outburst showed the line is still being crossed.

Of course, the Australian crowd would argue that what they do is no different to what you might experience from a Test crowd at Headingley in Leeds.

And the players would be justified in arguing that intimidating your rivals is part and parcel of modern sport - just ask Roy Keane or Michael Schumacher.

There are no prizes, after all, for being charming.

But they should not be in any doubt, in case they were wondering, why having taken the game to new standards, they inspire respect but not affection.



Aus v Eng v SrL


Match reports
9. Hosts survive Murali
8. England crash again
7. Hosts reach finals
6. SL open account
5. Lehmann imperious
4. Collingwood shines
3. England off the mark
2. Warne hurt in win
1. Aussies off to flier


Have your say
Your verdict on England

RESULT/FIXTURES

All the details


See also:


26 Apr 02 | Cricket
ICC gets tough on sledgers
Internet links:


ICC code of conduct

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Top Cricket stories now:


Lehmann faces ban after 'obscenity'

Cricket protests planned in Zimbabwe

Vaughan set to open

Bacher to check out Zimbabwe

Murali fed up with Australia

ECB targets safety

Murphy's Zimbabwe decision

England players back Zimbabwe stance

Links to more Cricket stories are at the foot of the page.



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[Fradam]

Thanks for quoting me JLC. Thats why I replied to this topic earlier. If I'm going to slag the Barmy Army for yelling out no ball then I have to do the same to the Aussies who do the same to Murili.

Nobody like being called a chucker. He's been cleared. Eveyone should get over it and get on with playing the game.

Fradam Wrote This

[JLC]

Very true Fradam

jlc

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[bwphantom]

What A suke. Seriously if he can't handle a bit of jaunting then stop playing. When your as good as what he is, crowds are going to give you a hard time. Warney has copped a bit of stuff from crowds over the years along with other great players in the world. It is part of the game. If Mura does not come back to Aussie again, who is suffering, The cricketing Public Or the Sri Lankan Cricket Team. C'mon mate be professional. How many times has a player been jeered when getting injured. In footy it happens a lot. Maybe this is not good, but how do you control it. There are always gonna be those types in crowds. So ignore and do what you are paid for, PLAY. Seriously I am appalled at his attitude. His action is suspect, end of story, yea he is cleared but he can not expect people to say to themselves "Well Mura has been cleared by an International body of experts, so I won't call him a chucker anymore". Asking a bit much I think. I would not give a toss if he came or did not ever come back to Australia again.

If your not bleeding Black and White, you don't truly support Collingwood!!!!!

[JLC]

Was a different story when it was Brett Lee ??

Its funny how the Australian Cricket team and unfortunately the cricket public are perceived by the rest of the World. Thats why i admire Mick Malthouse so much. Its one thing to be a winner on the field but its just as important to be winners OFF the field.

At least England have proven themselves to be winners off the field and have conducted themselves in an orderly fashion as have thier supporters.


jlc

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2001 runners up
2002 fifth
2003 ????
The slide continues

[JLC]

Well that fact is open to debate. I think its Brett Lees faster ball that is under scrutiny!!

jlc



Essendon 2000 premiers
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2003 ????
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[Brown26]

which one? the 155 or the 156 km's per hour?

I think it's his bouncer actually, but to my mind he's fine - murily definitly bends his elbow - wether he straightens it is the question, and I've gotta say I reckon he does.

The ICC didn't ping him because, for the first reason, they didn't want to be branded as racists. But it's a HUGE call to ping someone as a chucker - so they'd need a heap of evidence to actually ping him, and I'm not sure I'd do it.

Brett Lee was only quiried because the pakis' and other sub continent cricket officials thought it'd be a nice return to spray on their aussie counterparts. there's not much in it for my mind.

I wouldn't laugh at a n injured player, but maybe they were laughing at his fielding attempt, not realising he was injured? maybe he's just overreacting, as per usual?

last thought - Lehman's "tirade" was two words, according to the paper, "black c***" - I tell you I'd be more offended at the second than the first!!! but even so - totally out of line and he should be repremanded if not by the ICC, then the team.

- Ben

Pies for Premiers 2002, 3, 4, 5, 6....

[Donny]

Yes, Ben, good call. There's a heap of over-reaction going on. I'm certainly not condoning what Lehmann is reported to have said but it's always a good exercise to reverse any situation to see how it holds up.

Would there have been any reaction at all, if a Sri Lankan player had used the same words in the same situation - in the dressing room and was overheard - but had said 'white' instead of 'black'? I wonder.

As Geoff Lawson said today, the match referee, Clive Lloyd, accepted that Lehmann apologised, verbally as soon as possible to the Sri Lankans and later in a written statement. He (Lawson) went on to say Malcolm Speed's intervention was way over the top.

The Sri Lanka captain, Sanath Jayasuriya, said in today's Australian, "I'm very happy that things are solved. There is no problem."

Donny.

GO THE MIGHTY WOODSMEN !! ALL THE WAY IN 2003 AND BEYOND !!!!